Tom’s Top 3 for 2/13: BRTA Puts Strike On Hold For Now
A scheduled strike at the Berkshire Regional Transit Authority has been put on hold for the time being. IBerkshires.com reports that BRTA Administrator Robert Malnati issued a notice yesterday saying the para transit operators have delayed the strike which they had scheduled to begin next Monday, February 19th. A federal mediator will be meeting with BRTA on Wednesday, February 21st to further discuss the situation and has asked the union workers to delay the strike. Drivers for Paratransit Management of the Berkshires voted down the best and final offer that was presented during contract negotiations and then voted on February 6th to strike. The BRTA was informed of the vote last week which would impact all aspects of the company. According to Malnati, the fixed route operators, mechanics, and maintenance staff would not be able to cross picket lines. Close to 80,000 of the BRTA’s ridership depends on the paratransit service.
Local Man Charged In July 4th Block Party Killing
Seymour Street resident, JC Chadwell, allegedly shot Paul Henry more than five years after he was cut by a machete over a debt dispute. The Berkshire Eagle reports that according to police, Chadwell killed Henry with a gunshot to the chest during a block party on John Street in Pittsfield this past July 4th. According to court files obtained by the newspaper, the 39 year old Chadwell was arrested on a warrant Friday night during a traffic stop on Wahconah Street. 37 year old Yulanda Chadwell, the victim’s sister, was also arrested when she went to the police station asking about her brother’s arrest. She stands accused of lying to police about her brother’s whereabouts the night the shooting took place. Henry was found in the street around 11:30 p.m. during the block party. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
South County Man Says He Purchased Drugs On Line
A Housatonic resident and high school senior who was arrested for distributing black market Xanax last week told police he bought the "double the dose" counterfeit pills online, according to the police report. The Berkshire Eagle reports that 18 year old Ethan Morris was arraigned in Southern Berkshire District Court on Tuesday. The senior at Monument Mountain High School pleaded not guilty to one count of drug distribution and two counts of drug possession. Morris was arrested last Tuesday after allegedly selling a generic form of Xanax to undercover Great Barrington police officer. The department had been conducting an investigation after two Monument Mountain Regional High School employees alerted them to the student use of what they called "some kind of super Xanax." According to police, Morris said he received the pills by mail through the U.S. Postal Service.